--- title: "Friday Buzz: Embrace Volunteer Passion" id: "41574" type: "post" slug: "friday-buzz-embrace-volunteer-passion" published_at: "2018-02-16T22:24:17+00:00" modified_at: "2018-02-16T22:24:17+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/02/16/friday-buzz-embrace-volunteer-passion/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/02/16/friday-buzz-embrace-volunteer-passion.md" excerpt: "Why your organization should consider ways to keep passionate volunteer leaders active even if their term is over. Also: the value of membership mapping." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Leadership Development" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" - "volunteer retention" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Friday Buzz: Embrace Volunteer Passion Even though a volunteer’s term on a board or committee may be over, that doesn’t mean they want to be done with the association. In fact, they may still be passionate about the organization they’ve been a part of. According to Jeffrey Cufaude of Idea Architects, associations should consider redirecting and leveraging that energy and find a way to make room for them. “Instead of talking about how to rid themselves of these people, organizations should focus on how to retain the best of what they can bring to their community,” he argues. “It yields a much richer and more respectful conversation.” [Read his full post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ideaarchitects.org/2018/02/dont-cut-off-caring.html) for more thoughts. ### Understand the Paths > Walk a mile in your members’ shoes to identify areas for improvement. Here are 3 areas to consider when creating member journey maps > > > [https://t.co/mWJbAEZeSL (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/mWJbAEZeSL) > [#AssnChat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/AssnChat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [@AMCInstitute (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/AMCInstitute?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#YMBlog (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/YMBlog?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#Onward (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Onward?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — YourMembership (@yourmembership) [February 16, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/yourmembership/status/964537550244335616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Your members may start with your association** from a variety of vantage points, and the better you understand those, the more effective you’ll be in ser. Over at the YourMembership blog, the company’s director of product marketing, Peggy Smith, [breaks down the perks and benefits of member journey mapping (opens in a new tab)](https://www.yourmembership.com/blog/walk-mile-members-shoes-identify-areas-improvement/) —particularly in helping you better understand how members interact with your organization and where you could serve them better. “Members have different reasons for joining your organization, so it’s important to create maps for each of the member experiences after their initial joining period,” she writes. ### Other Links of Note **Google changed the way** its image search works, as part of a legal settlement with Getty Images. [Here’s what’s different (opens in a new tab)](https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/16/google-removes-view-image-from-search/) . **Sometimes, engagement isn’t the best option.** According to Emma Thompson, director of Ashridge Communications, there are always pockets of members [who simply aren’t looking to be engaged (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ashridgecommunications.com/index.php?r=64) . **Email design matters.** Web Scribble [rounds up some important thoughts (opens in a new tab)](https://www.webscribble.com/blog/email-marketing-tips) on the email marketing front. (stocksnapper/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Leadership Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership-development/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#volunteer retention](https://associationsnow.com/tag/volunteer-retention/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [ArticleWhile Associations Debate AI, Members Are Moving OnMarch 13, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/03/13/while-associations-debate-ai-members-are-moving-on/) - [ArticleFor the Love of Associations—Be the ChangeFebruary 11, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/02/11/for-the-love-of-associations-be-the-change/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F02%2F16%2Ffriday-buzz-embrace-volunteer-passion%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !